The Boys in the Band (2020 film)

The Boys in the Band (2020 film)

The Boys in the Band is a 2020 American drama film directed by Joe Mantello. It is based on the 1968 play of the same name by Mart Crowley. Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins all star in the film. It was released on September 30, 2020, by Netflix.

About The Boys in the Band (2020 film) in brief

Summary The Boys in the Band (2020 film)The Boys in the Band is a 2020 American drama film directed by Joe Mantello, based on the 1968 play of the same name by Mart Crowley. The film stars the full roster of players from the play’s 2018 Broadway revival, comprising a cast of exclusively openly-gay actors. Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins all star in the film. It was released on September 30, 2020, by Netflix, and received generally positive reviews from critics. The movie is set in 1968, and follows the lives of Michael, Emory, Donald, and Alan, who all live in New York City at the same time. It is based on Mart Crowley’s play, which was previously adapted for a 1970 film version directed by William Friedkin and starring the original 1968 Off-Broadway cast. In the play, Michael’s old roommate from Georgetown, Alan, calls Michael in tears saying he has something urgent to tell Michael in person.

Michael invites Alan to the party and warns all his guests that Alan is heterosexual and doesn’t know about Michael’s homosexuality. Despite his earlier conversation with Michael, Alan arrives at the party. He bonds with Hank, who he mistakes as being straight, and shows discomfort towards Emory’s flamboyant behavior. Michael begins to drink and smoke despite having quit 5 weeks prior. He and Harold trade vicious insults as Hank helps a vomiting Alan in Michael’s bathroom. Emory brings out Harold’s birthday cake and presents. After opening them on the terrace, a thunderstorm forces everyone inside. Alan tries to leave again but is stopped by Michael, who informs everyone that they are playing a party game: everyone must use the telephone to call the one person they truly believe they have loved. Michael tells Donald that he never learned what Alan wanted to confide in him in the first place.